I'm sure I'm not going to say anything that hasn't been said here already, but here's my take on it. I'm all for public breastfeeding. I BF both of my boys and did it often in public. But I was also able to do it discretely and without a cover. When you are BFing, it's easy to wear a nursing tank or something like that so that you don't have to completely expose yourself in public.
I don't care if the woman next to me has her boob hanging out nursing her baby. Frankly I'd rather see that than women with their skanky cleavage hanging out and skirts so short that I can see everything under it. BFing is a beautiful, natural thing.
Whip it out if you want to, but just know it is easy to do it without exposing yourself. I don't see why it is necessary to expose your whole breast while nursing. Modesty is always a good thing.
Whip it out if you want to, but just know it is easy to do it without exposing yourself. I don't see why it is necessary to expose your whole breast while nursing. Modesty is always a good thing.
I don't think anyone here thinks it's 'necessary' ... as much as, 'yeah, sometimes it happens ...and if it happens while I'm trying to feed my kid I don't care how uncomfortable someone else is with it'.
And honestly, no, no it's NOT always easy to do. You and I are small people with small breasts. Try telling someone with size F breasts that NIP is 'easy to do'. And really, I tried it several time with a nursing cover and found it anything but EASY to remain discrete and 'modest'.
Whip it out if you want to, but just know it is easy to do it without exposing yourself. I don't see why it is necessary to expose your whole breast while nursing. Modesty is always a good thing.
I don't think anyone here thinks it's 'necessary' ... as much as, 'yeah, sometimes it happens ...and if it happens while I'm trying to feed my kid I don't care how uncomfortable someone else is with it'.
And honestly, no, no it's NOT always easy to do. You and I are small people with small breasts. Try telling someone with size F breasts that NIP is 'easy to do'. And really, I tried it several time with a nursing cover and found it anything but EASY to remain discrete and 'modest'.
I always wore a nursing tank underneath my shirts. I would pull up the overshirt, unsnap my nursing tank and immediately put LO on the breast. There would be maybe 2 seconds of exposed breast and then my LOs head was completely covering my breast. My overshirt covered the top of my breast and my arm covered the bottom of it. People never even knew I was nursing because it just looked like I was holding my baby.
Exposed boobs like the one on the OP are only a big problem when you pull your boob out from the top of your shirt. Pulling it out from under it is much more discrete.
My kids have never been good at nursing under a cover so I just found that it was easier to dress in a way that allowed me to nurse without exposing myself. I would think even a bustier woman could do that easily.
But yes, nursing covers were always harder to use IMO. LOs pull on it and kick under it and it ends up drawing more attention than if it wasn't there at all.
I think it's natural for people to be taken back by a BFing in public, simply for the reason that has already been mentioned fortyfivetrillion times - because we do not live in a society where women bare breasts freely and/or openly. A bared boob, whether it's for natural feeding or not, is going to draw attention. I agree that people who stare are tools...whether you agree with it or not, staring is way more rude than BFing in public.
Personally, I will avoid BFing in public at all costs, my reason being simply that my modesty level is through the roof. I think it's safe to assume that most of the people who are weirded out by public BFing are also the types to cover up and/or not BF in public; just as someone who isn't super modest isn't going to give a hoot about seeing a woman with a boob out or doing it herself. It just makes sense...different strokes.
Those saying just use a cover clearly have never had a child who HATES covers and yanks it around so much it would be less obvious if ya just let it all hang out lol. I say who cares, if it bothers you don't look.
This exactly. My boys didn't like having their heads covered.
When I had my oldest daughter I constantly fought with a blanket in public.. The darn thing would just NOT stay up but I was too shy to nurse my daughter with nothing so of course I fought that darn blanket. My youngest daughter, well we were in the NICU for awhile because she'd stop breathing while eating and so I had everyone watching me feed her all the time, including male nurses! I got so used to nursing around everyone that if I didn't have a blanket in public, screw it. I'm doing something natural and I'm feeding my baby. This baby I have already bought a nursing cover for but I probably won't bother with it too much. I say if you're going to nurse in public, more power to ya! I don't even bat an eye when I see someone nursing a baby in public. My "other" mom nursed her babies (all four of them [two were a set of twins]) and it's something I saw since the time I was 9 until I was 14. So I obviously find nothing wrong with nursing in public.
I think breastfeeding is a very natural thing. I think that society thinks that nudity is such a bad thing but honestly we came into this world naked and if you go to any other country its widely accepted. I personally think its beautiful and natural for a woman to breastfeed and if someone is uncomfortable...then dont look! Its she feels comfortable enough to do it then more power to her.
This exactly. Im still breastfeeding my dd who will be 2 next week. Ill nurse her anywhere and meet your eye quite boldly if you look at me. I dont cover up.
I personally don't think I will be comfortable enough to pull my whole boob out in public , but I don't think it is that big of a deal. my Sil nip all the time where ever we go , at first it was a little uncomfortable to hold conversations wit her while she was feeding her dd but now its no big deal.
While I don't have a problem with breastfeeding in public, I do think she should try to cover as much as possible out of respect to others. If nudity is so natural, we wouldn't wear clothing. It's like cursing in public, you wouldn't walk into a church and start droping F bombs, out of respect for the people of that church. While adults should be able to control themselves and look away unfortunately not everyone is that mature. Kids may also not understand, it's hard to explain the difference between whipping out a boob to feed a child and whipping out a boob period, to a child who doesn't have full cognitive capabilities.
Who cares if little kids understand? They're only bothered by it if you teach them to be...and one hopes that by the time they DO have a boob to whip out themselves, they will have more "cognitive ability" to understand the difference. lol.
kids would understand if it were more common.
kids would understand if no one ever made a big deal out if (yes its sometimes awkward but we shouldn't let our kids know it is)
kids would also understand if they saw their own mother. aunts. etc doing it.
kids can understand ANYTHING if we let them. the mind of a child is much more open than the mind of an adult.
!!! My kids think NOTHING of BFing mommies except "Hmmm...that the baby must be hungry."
Seeing a mother struggling with a cover while her hungry baby cries is much more disturbing to me.
I didn't breastfeed in public, because I wasn't comfortable doing it. I wish I had. I felt very trapped when I was breastfeeding. DS wouldn't take a bottle for 4 months, so it was difficult to go out. The public wants us to breastfeed, but they want us to do it in private. It needs to be more acceptable to breastfeed in public. DS did not like to have a cover over his head when he was eating, and I shouldn't be forced to breastfeed in a gross bathroom. People need to get over seeing a boob.
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I am a breastfeeding supporter and plan to do it including in public. I, however, do plan on preserving some modesty and not making a statement of my feeding choices by whipping my abundant boobs out for the world to see. I would appreciate it if other people would do the same.
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Though I will say that I am I am actually kinda shocked that the OP, who also works in the health care setting, was as put off by this. If anywhere is appropriate to breastfeed in public, I would definitely put my Dr.'s office up there on the list. She is feeding her baby in what is arguably the healthiest way possible, while actively participating in the system. Additionally, by the simple act of nursing in public, she was advocating for all breastfeeding mom and babes and slowly chipping away at the social stigma surrounding it by sharing the experience with others and exhibiting no shame while doing so.
Kudos to her. IMO, the public needs to be exposed more regularly to women and babes nursing in public. But hiding it, all we do is further perpetuate the silly notion that breast are only for sex. They have a dual purpose, with feeding our children the most important.
Very well said! I love that the large majority of posts support this.
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Boobs are boobs and yes we all have them. Thats how pretty much most of us ate when we were babies. The only time breastfeeding creeps me out is when there is a 3 to 5 year old child hanging on some lady's boob. At that point I think its pretty nasty. I mean, yay breastmilk and all that, but come on. Thats why there is a phrase "Get off the teet"
I'm not against bf-ing in public and I think the more women do it, the more normal it becomes. I have fed my baby in public lots of times, without a cover or any of that business. Sometimes more (.)(.) shows than other times. It's between me and my baby - you don't want to see it, then don't look twice!
However, that said, I do try to follow my own "are other people eating here too?" rule. Like, if we're in a shopping mall, yes, other people are wandering around eating, I don't feel bad sitting on a bench and feeding my baby either. Or in a restaurant. That's a place for everyone to eat! But some places aren't for eating, by anyone, like the doctor's office. In that case (also because other patients aren't coming in expecting to see that) I have been known to ask for a private place to nurse. And I'm perfectly willing to discreetly feed my baby if there isn't a place to do it, but I do ask.
Let the babies eat, it's natural and beautiful! More power to 'em, and the brave mommies who feed them!
This is like saying don't breathe when someone is smoking near you in public, or not to hear when they are on the cell phone. Just because something is someone's personal choice doesn't mean that the choice must be inflicted on everyone else in the vicinity. I am very comfortable with my body, and I want my daughter to be comfortable with hers, but I also want my kids to understand that some parts are private. A tough message to reinforce when women are whipping out a breast left and right. Breastfeeding is wonderful, but is it really that hard to put on a over or drape a blanket? These posts seem to say that it's unreasonable for people to feel so uncomfortable with something so natural, but it isn't natural for everyone. Sex is natural, are you comfortable watching people have it right in front of you in public? If people respect your right to breastfeed, at least have the decency to respect their right to be comfortable - cover up!
I am not too shocked when I see someone breastfeeding in public (I live on the West Coast, afterall) but I think in order to respect others who are offended by it, it's better to do it either in private or under a cover. Also, you never know who your audience is. If you have a Muslim woman in a burqa in the same waiting room, I think it would be absolutley cruel to whip out your boob and start breast feeding. But, most of the time we don't know who would be offended and who wouldn't in the audience around us, so I feel it's better to just try and do it in private. I know others will disagree with me, but that's my take on it!
Just because we all have them doesn't mean we all go around showing them. What about breastfeeding gives a woman the right to go around showing her breasts? If I wasn't breastfeeding a child and took my breast out in a public place I would be criticized for doing something improper in a public place. I say don't use breastfeeding as an excuse to get away with something you normally wouldn't do.
i honestly would not consider the doctor's office to be a public place, so it wasnt like she was out in public. It is any woman's right to feed her baby and is it her business how she wants to do it. I breastfeed openly and if someone sees my nipple BIG DEAL. When you see a sculptures of women and art, the breast is usually uncovered and a viable part of the art, women are works of art. We house and grow a fetus, we can give birth, we can feed the baby without any kind of equipment. Fast forward a hundred years and things will be exactly the same. Our ancestors came to america to find freedom, this is what I call freedom- being able to bust out a boob whenever your baby is hungry without feeling bad about it or embarrassed. That is what they were made for. Dont be scared or shamed by it, SMILE AT A NURSING MOM, they are giving their baby the best gift they can give!
I am pretty opened minded and have seen some things in my life. So if I was to see a mom "bare bf" ill just continue to mind my business. she's feeding her child, not popping the tit in her hubby mouth. jeez! as long as she is comfty and that child is fed, then let her do her thing. Yes, some babies do not like to be covered and she may have left her blanket or something. we don't know. bottom line: She is handling business, if you don't like, that's your issue.
This is like saying don't breathe when someone is smoking near you in public, or not to hear when they are on the cell phone. Just because something is someone's personal choice doesn't mean that the choice must be inflicted on everyone else in the vicinity. I am very comfortable with my body, and I want my daughter to be comfortable with hers, but I also want my kids to understand that some parts are private. A tough message to reinforce when women are whipping out a breast left and right. Breastfeeding is wonderful, but is it really that hard to put on a over or drape a blanket? These posts seem to say that it's unreasonable for people to feel so uncomfortable with something so natural, but it isn't natural for everyone. Sex is natural, are you comfortable watching people have it right in front of you in public? If people respect your right to breastfeed, at least have the decency to respect their right to be comfortable - cover up!
1. I would much rather be sitting by a nursing mom than someone smoking. BTW - I can't get cancer by sitting next to a nursing mom.
2. Sex in public is illegal. This is very different than BF.
3. 1 post? Did you create an account just to respond to this thread?
I personally don't nurse without a cover. However - we took LO to the ER over the weekend and forgot my cover in the rush. In our hospital room, I nursed without a cover - in front of a number of people coming in and our of the room. You do what you need to do to take care of your children.
Re: bare breastfeeding in public????
I'm sure I'm not going to say anything that hasn't been said here already, but here's my take on it. I'm all for public breastfeeding. I BF both of my boys and did it often in public. But I was also able to do it discretely and without a cover. When you are BFing, it's easy to wear a nursing tank or something like that so that you don't have to completely expose yourself in public.
I don't care if the woman next to me has her boob hanging out nursing her baby. Frankly I'd rather see that than women with their skanky cleavage hanging out and skirts so short that I can see everything under it. BFing is a beautiful, natural thing.
Whip it out if you want to, but just know it is easy to do it without exposing yourself. I don't see why it is necessary to expose your whole breast while nursing. Modesty is always a good thing.
I don't think anyone here thinks it's 'necessary' ... as much as, 'yeah, sometimes it happens ...and if it happens while I'm trying to feed my kid I don't care how uncomfortable someone else is with it'.
And honestly, no, no it's NOT always easy to do. You and I are small people with small breasts. Try telling someone with size F breasts that NIP is 'easy to do'. And really, I tried it several time with a nursing cover and found it anything but EASY to remain discrete and 'modest'.
The Mouse ~ 06.12.08 | The Froggy ~ 02.23.11
I always wore a nursing tank underneath my shirts. I would pull up the overshirt, unsnap my nursing tank and immediately put LO on the breast. There would be maybe 2 seconds of exposed breast and then my LOs head was completely covering my breast. My overshirt covered the top of my breast and my arm covered the bottom of it. People never even knew I was nursing because it just looked like I was holding my baby.
Exposed boobs like the one on the OP are only a big problem when you pull your boob out from the top of your shirt. Pulling it out from under it is much more discrete.
My kids have never been good at nursing under a cover so I just found that it was easier to dress in a way that allowed me to nurse without exposing myself. I would think even a bustier woman could do that easily.
But yes, nursing covers were always harder to use IMO. LOs pull on it and kick under it and it ends up drawing more attention than if it wasn't there at all.
Yay for pushbutton topics!
I think it's natural for people to be taken back by a BFing in public, simply for the reason that has already been mentioned fortyfivetrillion times - because we do not live in a society where women bare breasts freely and/or openly. A bared boob, whether it's for natural feeding or not, is going to draw attention. I agree that people who stare are tools...whether you agree with it or not, staring is way more rude than BFing in public.
Personally, I will avoid BFing in public at all costs, my reason being simply that my modesty level is through the roof. I think it's safe to assume that most of the people who are weirded out by public BFing are also the types to cover up and/or not BF in public; just as someone who isn't super modest isn't going to give a hoot about seeing a woman with a boob out or doing it herself. It just makes sense...different strokes.
This exactly. My boys didn't like having their heads covered.
Awesome:)
1000% against it. Dont look? Really? Come on.
She can cover up so I dont have to "avert my eyes"
Not everyone wants to see that!
This exactly. Im still breastfeeding my dd who will be 2 next week. Ill nurse her anywhere and meet your eye quite boldly if you look at me. I dont cover up.
Seeing a mother struggling with a cover while her hungry baby cries is much more disturbing to me.
I am a breastfeeding supporter and plan to do it including in public. I, however, do plan on preserving some modesty and not making a statement of my feeding choices by whipping my abundant boobs out for the world to see. I would appreciate it if other people would do the same.
Very well said! I love that the large majority of posts support this.
I'm not against bf-ing in public and I think the more women do it, the more normal it becomes. I have fed my baby in public lots of times, without a cover or any of that business. Sometimes more (.)(.) shows than other times. It's between me and my baby - you don't want to see it, then don't look twice!
However, that said, I do try to follow my own "are other people eating here too?" rule. Like, if we're in a shopping mall, yes, other people are wandering around eating, I don't feel bad sitting on a bench and feeding my baby either. Or in a restaurant. That's a place for everyone to eat! But some places aren't for eating, by anyone, like the doctor's office. In that case (also because other patients aren't coming in expecting to see that) I have been known to ask for a private place to nurse. And I'm perfectly willing to discreetly feed my baby if there isn't a place to do it, but I do ask.
Let the babies eat, it's natural and beautiful! More power to 'em, and the brave mommies who feed them!
Available here.
I am not too shocked when I see someone breastfeeding in public (I live on the West Coast, afterall) but I think in order to respect others who are offended by it, it's better to do it either in private or under a cover. Also, you never know who your audience is. If you have a Muslim woman in a burqa in the same waiting room, I think it would be absolutley cruel to whip out your boob and start breast feeding. But, most of the time we don't know who would be offended and who wouldn't in the audience around us, so I feel it's better to just try and do it in private. I know others will disagree with me, but that's my take on it!
1. I would much rather be sitting by a nursing mom than someone smoking. BTW - I can't get cancer by sitting next to a nursing mom.
2. Sex in public is illegal. This is very different than BF.
3. 1 post? Did you create an account just to respond to this thread?
I personally don't nurse without a cover. However - we took LO to the ER over the weekend and forgot my cover in the rush. In our hospital room, I nursed without a cover - in front of a number of people coming in and our of the room. You do what you need to do to take care of your children.